Live Until Death
by crzyfanfics
Summary: Grunt, the Genetically Perfect Krogan Warrior and Mordin Solus, The highly intelligent Salarian Doctor have been running from what they truly desired, but they have finally began to stop in their tracks. Rated M for Themes and References. Feedback would be appreciated
1. Chapter 1

**Pre A/N:** **This story is NOT in correlation nor does it tie in, with "Something New" at all, this is completely Stand Alone. Also, as you could probably tell, this is a Yaoi/Gay Romance fanfic, if you don't like, don't read.**

The Salarian Professor, Mordin Solus, had recently returned from the restroom so he could continue his research on the Collector Data, but he really ended up returning to an unpleasant sight.

"G-Grunt!? Why is there shattered glass on the floor near my work station!? What had occurred here?!" Mordin interrogated, sounding rather surprised and irritated at the same time.

When Grunt first noticed Mordin's appearance and the way he confronted him, he began to blush and felt a nervous feeling of butterflies in his stomach, he gazed at the aged Salarian for a few moments, then turned his head away and put his right hand behind it nervously "Uhh...What do they call it?...Oh yea, it was an accident!" Grunt insisted, but Mordin was not having any of it right now.

"ACCIDENT?! Grunt! I've noticed as of late that you've been present here often, and practically everytime you leave, I always notice something in this lab that is completely out of order, do you have an explanation for this?!" Mordin commanded.

Normally Grunt would find himself disgusted when someone approaches him in a derogatory manner, he would even get angry and fight back for his own pride, being threatened, insulted and wrongly accused of a wrongdoing are examples of what can really push him over the edge very easily. With Mordin Solus however, it wasn't the same.

After hearing all the commotion, the Commander of the Normandy, Jane Shepard, had walked in "Is there some kind of problem here?" She asked curiously, with her arms crossed.

"Shepard!" Mordin turned around to face here "I'm assuming they were test tubes or anything of the sort, but Grunt here had _accidentally_ caused them to shatter on the floor, approximately right next to my working station" He explained to the Commander.

Shepard turned her attention to the Krogan "Grunt?" She asked, implying she wanted to hear his side of the story, Grunt looked like he took a few moments to think of a response "I...just wanted to look at what Mordin was working on, but...my hands slipped?... I'm not sure myself"

"Preposterous! That has got to be one of the most poorly improvised explanations I've heard in years Grunt, but if you simply just desired a closer look, you shouldve been more upfront and asked me properly, not like it matters, we both know you aren't showing honesty" Mordin replied back, which caused Grunt to look down on the floor, feeling guilty for his actions, it was starting to really bother him.

Shepard sighed "Grunt, can you excuse us? Mordin and I have a few things to discuss, we'll get back to you later on" she asked of him, Grunt looked at the upset Salarian one last time "Alright" then slowly left the premises.

"This is absurd Shepard! This isn't the first time he's left this Lab out of order, he's been at it much lately!" Mordin started "What do you mean?" Shepard asked.

"For starters, he was consuming food in here and left the wrapping and crumbs all over my floor, a great amount of them to be specific! he stole 37,000 credits from me, and I'm almost certain he spent it mostly on Ryncol, and why in the heavens did I encounter a couple of Earth-Grown rabbits in here, W-Where did he even obtain such from?!".

"Seriously?" Shepard asked, sounding surprised "Why would I be dishonest at a time like this Shepard?! We can't just allow this to occur continuously, besides, I have an important role on this ship, I don't desire to be distracted consistently this way!" Mordin argued.

Shepard put her left on her forehead "Jeez...Alright! I bet something is bothering him, Maybe I should-" Shepard began trying to explain, but Mordin aggressively cut him off "Ohhh Yes! He's clearly the victim and he needs your guidence! Shepard that Krogan is a pure troublemaking delinquent! how could you possibly be blind to that?!".

"You're jumping to conclusions, you're a Scientist, you of all people on this ship should know better!" Shepard argued back "I am a Scientist, and one crucial aspect of experiments is to make a hypothesis, as in an educated guess! I can easily identify abnormal patterns! and I'm telling you, this is one of them!"

"So what do you propose then, huh? give him a Spanking?" Shepard suggested mockingly "Keep giving me ideas, Shepard, I mean it! you expect me to just allow myself to be Bullied by this Moronic Brat much longer?! If you refuse to take any real action, like the commander you're SUPPOSED to be, then mark these words, I will" Mordin comebacked aggressively.

Shepard looked at the ground for a brief moment, then sighed "Look, I understand that you're frustrated, that might even be an understatement, but take this from me, I've dealt with all kinds of people in my line of work, and often times then not, I've run into people who are more then Meets the Eye, take a look at Saren for instance, you really need to look into these things before you act like you know everything, or odds are, you'll pay for it later, I can promise that much".

Mordin took a moment to ponder this thought, and as much as he absolutely hated to admit it, he knew Shepard wasn't wrong. He took a deep breath in response "...My apologies, I...got very carried away, please forgive me if I offended you, you're a great Commander".

Shepard smirked in response "I know, what's your point?" she asked teasingly, Mordin chuckled at her remark "...Well, thank you for everything, allow me to clean up the glass, then shortly after I'll go and have a word with him, and I promise it will be civil" Mordin assured his Commander.

"Good to hear, but I'll warn you ahead of time, Grunt typically has a short-temper, be careful with what you say and how you say it, I might not arrive fast enough before something goes wrong" Shepard advised "Understood, but rest assured I'm quite the disrance from being a helpless Victim, worse comes to show, I'm very capable of self-defense manuvers" Mordin assured his Commander "If you insist, just remember this isn't a normal Krogan we're talking about, don't take chances" and with that, Shepard walked out of the Laboratory.

Mordin turned around, preparing to clean the glass, but was struck with an idea that came to mind _"Now taking it into consideration, before Grunt left, he stared at me mysteriously...did that...have a correlation?"_.

* * *

"ARRGGHH!" Grunt yelled out furiously as he punched the wall in storage wall "Why can't that damn Salarian take a hint already! What the hell am I doing wrong here!? I know he can't be that stupid! He's a goddamn Professor!" he called out furiously to himself, he then noticed one of the storage crates next to his left leg, and angrily kicked it, causing it to slide across the floor causing a loud streaking noise.

Grunt attempted calming himself down, and tried taking a few deep breaths, but it felt so futile, he was so tense, it was like he was falling apart.

"You on your fucking period or something?!" Jack questioned sounding irritated, as she walked through the door "What kind of Bullshit are you on about now?!".

"I'm Sorry, I don't mean...to disturb you" Grunt responded, not understanding why, normally he'd bark back at an outburst from Jack, and argue or tell her leave, but not this time.

"Huh?" Jack asked, sounding confused "Okay fine, whatever, I don't give a fuck, just calm yourself" She asked, not wanting to question why Grunt replied the way he did, but Grunt wasn't letting her off that easily.

"Wait!" Grunt called out to her, before she got a chance to walk out the door "Look Grunt, If something's screwing with your brain, or whatever the hell is in that thick skull of yours, I'm not good at these talks and I'd rather eat out of a Varren's Ass then play Therapist with you...but if there is anything I will tell you..." Jack started to explain, which was catching Grunt's attention

She took a deep breath "Punching walls, kicking crates, yelling to nobody but yourself...You and I both know that bullshit isn't going to get you anywhere, whatever kind of hell you're dealing with, stand the fuck up, grow a pair, and face it, or odds are it's never gonna fade, that's a fact of life, whether you like it or not" She finished explaining, then left the room, feeling satisfied enough.

Grunt found himself leaning his back against the wall he had just recently punched, he knew there were truth in Jack's words, all this time, he had been running away like that of a coward. He wouldn't let himself be held back any further, it's gone on long enough, he needed to find Mordin.

He got off the wall, and began walking towards the door, with the intention of returning to the Laboratory and confronting the Scientist, for better or worse, however, he was saved the trouble.

"M-Mordin!" Grunt exclaimed, as he saw Mordin right outside of the door, he already started to feel his heart beat like crazy, and he felt like he was noticeably blushing at the sight of the Salarian.

Mordin took a deep breath "Ahem! Grunt, rest assured I don't mean for unnecessary tension between us, I wish for us to sit down and discuss what's been happening as of recent" He tried to explain.

Upon hearing this, Grunt regained his focus, it was time for him to face these demons, he briefly looked beyond the hallway to make sure there wasn't anyone who could potentially listen, after he was convinced the coast was clear, he told Mordin "Come inside".

Mordin slowly, but steadily walked inside the room and heard the door shut automatically behind him "Do you mind if I-" Mordin tried to ask a question, but was quickly interrupted. Grunt had grabbed Mordin from underneath his shoulders, and gently slammed him against the wall.

Mordin tried breaking free, but it was to no prevail, he couldn't break free, the Tank-Bred Krogan had fully overpowered the Salarian Doctor, he quickly realized that physically breakin away would not happen, now preparing to attempted Overloading the Shields attached to Grunt's armor as a diversion, so he could have a brief chance to escape, well, until hearing the following from the Krogan.

"I promise, I won't run or hide from this anymore...not now, not ever again..." Grunt swore to himself out loud, he felt tears start to travel from his eyes.

Mordin had found himself rather confused with these words, and the tears from his eyes, was this some kind of bizarre dream? did he get drunk and pass out in a bar in Omega? Was he really seeing this.

The Bred for Perfection Krogan, the rampant killing machine, next to Jack the most destructive member of the squad who never shows much real emotion, was Crying in despair.

"Grunt...What are you..." Mordin was about to question this, but was immediately cut off by Grunt pressing his face against his, making contact with the Salarian's lips and gently licking them, as a way of requesting entry to the inside.

Mordin felt a strange temptation to allow the Krogan's tongue to make contact, but he quickly tried fighting it off by turning his head to the right, and began heavily breathing "Grunt...what in the heavens...is happening? Why are you doing this?".

Grunt used his left hand to gently grab Mordin by his chin, and slowly rotate them in his direction "Forgive me...all the trouble I've caused you, the food leavings, the stolen credits, the stupid bunny rabbits...I just..." Grunt tried to explain, but felt incredibly weak, tears began flowing in larger quantity down from his eyes, his body was practically shaking, he wasn't sure if he could carry on.

Mordin was simply staring in awe, he had no viable response, and he couldn't really take a moment to think of one right now, he was nearly paralyzed by these events.

_"Damnit Grunt! what the hell is wrong with you!? You made it this far, didn't you?!" _Grunt angrily lectured himself in his head, he knew he had to continue, it was too late to try evading this now anyway, he removed his left hand from Mordin's cheek and used it to wipe at least a few of the tears from his eyes, but he couldn't really stop them.

"I...I wanted you to notice me, I...wanted your attention...I desired nothing more, you never payed me any...you saw me as simply an ally in combat...but I saw you as something more Mordin...I don't fully understand it yet...but I've grown an attraction to you...no...more so...since I saw you, I felt something that compelled me to you, you're very handsome...but there was more...something deeper that lit a fire inside me!...I think...I fell in love with you".

Mordin wished he could stay silent forever, but that just couldn't happen "G...Grunt...I..." he tried with all his might to reply, but Grunt cut him off "All that Stupid Crap I pulled in your Lab...it was me...avoiding what my heart spoke, I couldn't confront you directly!...It's like there's a Battleground inside me, and I've done nothing but try to retreat...but things are different now...I will stand my ground and fight for myself, or rather, I'll fight for you".

Mordin wanted to believe that he couldn't respond, but that wasn't true, this was a man who's spent the majority of his life, with the burden of being the progenitor of the new Genophage, and while he strongly believes that his actions were justifiable, he can't help but shake the feeling that he committed an unforgivable Sin of punishing millions of those who haven't even been born yet. He avoids thought on the matter, and tries to distract himself from it as much as he can, but that's something he can't truly move on from. Nor has he felt like he could engage in romance with anyone, as much as he'd like to, he felt like he didn't deserve such compassion in his life.

"Grunt...I understand now...and...I'm happy you could explain that...but, I can't love you back..." Mordin tried to explain, beginning to feel tears slow from his eyes "You don't know the hell I've suffered through, the...the unimaginable pain! I've felt guilty for most of my life, and I'm likely to remain that way, there's no hope for people like me! I can't move forward!" .

Upon hearing this, Grunt bit the side of his lip, he knew this kind of mindset more then anyone would, these were the words of someone...who was also running away.

"DO YOU SEE ME AS SOME SORT OF IDIOT!" Grunt yelled, in outrage, and began heavily breathing "I know EXACTLY what that is, and let me tell you! I don't know what kind of hell you've been through! but nobody WANTS to stay in that hell! ...You have to fight it! Believe in yourself! Keep goddamn living! AS LONG AS YOU'RE ALIVE, DON'T TALK LIKE YOUR FUCKING DEAD!"

Mordin gasped, tears were free-falling from his eyes right now, it was like a slap in the face straight from reality! and to think...a Youthful Tank-bred Krogan was telling him this, of all people.

Grunt then pulled Mordin into an embrace, his head rested on Grunt's shoulder "Please...stop feeling this way...I don't want to see you suffer any longer, I hate to see you cry like this, I want...I want you to be happy! I want us to be happy! Together!...and I'll crush ANYONE who thinks they can interfere with that! I understand that you're aging, and you don't have too many years of your life left, but until your times comes...I'll stay by your side, I'll protect you, and I'll love you...that's a promise!".

Mordin could no longer hold this back, like Grunt, Mordin was just tired, he was tired of running away from what his heart wanted all along, Mordin always found the Young Krogan attractive for his own reasons, but was uncertain if he shared that same love for Grunt, the way he did for him, but he knew for a fact that he was compelled to try, unsure if this can really work out in the end, he felt like there was a sort of Spark inside of the Salarian, and he wouldn't ignore it. He lifted his head from the Krogan's shoulder, and gazed into Grunts tear filled, striking Blue eyes.

"G...Grunt?...did anyone ever tell you... your Eyes are a beautiful shade of blue, it's...a pretty sight indeed..." Mordin complimented whole-heartedly, Grunt smiled in response "Why thank you...and you have...I've admired the missing antenna thing on top of your head, it's like a Battle scar, and a damn good one at that ..." He replied gratefully, while trying to compliment back.

Mordin chuckled lightly in response "...That's very kind of you Grunt" he then slowly, but surely, began moving his feeble, delicate lips towards Grunt's, and the Krogan knew exactly how to react. slightly opening his mouth and letting out the tip his of tongue, at last, had touched with that of the attractive Salarian who he was in love with. It began with they're lips gently taping eachother, then escalated to Mordin wanting to dig his tongue deeper inside Grunt's mouth until they were both rubbing they're tongues all over, from side to side, from top to bottom, Grunt tried to be as gentle as possible here, if he put too much force on his tongue, it'd be too much for his newly found partner to handle, not only is he a Salarian, but he's past his prime as it is, and Grunt could already tell Mordin was putting as much force as he could. So he continued gently rubbing tongues, and the inside of his mouth, and exchanging they're Saliva. They both loved every damn second of it.

"Grunt, what part of-" Jack walked inside the room, ready to scold the Krogan for not keeping the volume down, only to be in for shockingly unexpected view.

"JACK!" Grunt and Mordin called out simultaneously after breaking up their tongues, they both then quickly separated from eachother and faced her.

"P-Pleasure to see you Jack! What brings you here?" Mordin tried asking nervously, in an poor attempt to distract her from what she just witnessed was occuring, while Grunt turned the other and started to awkwardly laugh, scratching the back of his head.

Jack sighed, in expression to show she didn't want to make a big fuss about this, she then held her right arm up at them followed by "You know what, just do whatever makes you happy, I'm just gonna get the hell outta here before you start role-playing, giving eachother BJ's or some other fucked up third option" Jack exclaimed as she started to slowly exit the room.

"Hmph" Grunt let out defensively, as he put his right arm around Mordin's shoulder, buy in a caring and delicate manner. Mordin looked up to his new partner and smiled at him, followed by a quick kiss on the side of the Krogan's Monsterously sized lip. Grunt Smiled back and began to blush in response.

Jack had stepped in front of the door, close enough for it to open automatically so she could leave the room. Eager to try and get the disturbing images out of her brain, before she ends up losing her lunch.

However, at the very last second, Jack came to a realization, she turned her head back in the couple's direction "Yo Grunt" she called to him, Grunt and Mordin payed her the attention She requested.

She took a deep breath "Whatever the hell just happened here since I left, I'm guessin' you followed my advice" Jack started, then began to smirk "I'm impressed, just try not to mess this shit up, and don't worry, this is between us, as if I'd want to talk about this, think I'd lose my fuckin' lunch!...see ya around". Jack concluded, followed by her leaving the room at last.

"So you requested her romantic guidance I see?. .." Mordin asked teasingly, followed by a feminine giggle, Grunt chuckled.

"Yea, Yea, laugh it up Salarian!" He replied back in a joking manner, she then quickly looked behind the Professor, particularly looking at his curvy, backside, let go of his arm around Mordin's shoulder and grabbed delicately onto his right cheek.

"Oh Grunt! How impatient you are" Mordin replied, grinning provactively "I was never the type to wait around much, after all, don't act like you want me to back off" Grunt let go only to give his cheek a rough smack. Causing Mordin to jump for a brief moment.

"Ouch!" Mordin cried, making Grunt concerned "I'm sorry, I got carried away for a sec, did it hurt love?" He asked feeling regret, Mordin laughed in response "Relax yourself Grunt, It was rather exciting!" He then stepped in front of the Massive, Muscular Tank-Bred who was his new Partner.

"Especially if it was from you" Mordin complimented, Grunt took a deep breath "That a relief, but I'll admit, you looked really cute the way you bounced up like that" Grunt complimented.

Mordin smiled, and put his hands on his chest, coversed in Battle armor "...and I'm assuming, you'd look like quite a Sexy beast, if you took off this ridiculous armor".

"Hehe...I think this Adorable Salarian will get to see a real Krogan Warrior, and what he's really capable of..." Grunt teased, Mordin purred, akin to a cat, and began to stick his butt out, feeling very attracted and Horny for his new Man, also started to feel an erection coming on.

"I want to ask something though" said Grunt "Anything to appease your desires, Warrior..." Mordin replied happily.

"The hell is a BJ?

END OF CHAPTER ONE

**A/N: **That's a wrap guys! Now I know you guys have a few questions about this, before anything I would like to clarify, as I said in the pre-author's note, this story does not have a correlation or tie in with "Something New", The crossover with Final Fantasy XIII, in any way, this is completely a stand alone series that I originally planned to make a One-shot, but decided against it in the end, I just kinda want to flesh this out more, but don't worry this won't be lengthy, I could not imagine doing much more then 4-5 chapters. Also wanted to throw out a Disclaimer just to be on the safe side, by no means am I encouraging that you should already start teasing that you want to have sex with your partner, after only a few minutes of being together and forming the relationship. You really should give it time, whether it's Straight or not, you really should take some time, get to know him/her and see where you can go from there. I'm not an expert at these topics, but I'm sure you can find plenty of tips and resources Online, or just talk to people who you know are experienced or more knowledgeable on the subject if you want much further detail, especially since I can't generalize for what everyone goes through. I'm having it rushed in this Fanfiction for entertainment purposes and that alone, I'm sorry if any of you find me going on about this to be a drag and kinda pointless, but I'm just looking out for everyone's well being, while trying to keep anyone from throwing any accusations at me, cause Ive seen stuff like that happen before on this site. So pretty much, this was just an idea I had, I always found the idea of Grunt/Mordin being paired together pretty interesting, and thought I could have a little fun with writing something like this.

Not too much else I really need to talk about, next Chapter will probably get posted sometime after the next "Something New" Chapter. Let me know if you guys enjoyed this, I'm open to criticism, just keep it real lol I always appreciate it, and yea, thanks for reading


	2. Chapter 2

**The Young Krogan and Salarian Doctor, they had once tormented themselves emotionally, Grunt experienced the fear of confession and ran from it as far as he could, Mordin was struck with guilt from his past and felt totally powerless against it. Together, they overcame they're barriers and formed a new bond, for better or worse. But is everything truly perfect now? Or are there still Trials left to face?**

* * *

**"**What the hell is a BJ?" Grunt questioned, finding himself rather confused with the term, it being unfamiliar to him rather.

Mordin blushed, feeling in a strangely uncomfortable position "Well, Grunt...it's an...act of romance!..where two lovers share their affection in a way the resembles kissing...somewhat.." He attempted to explain, not once has he been forced to explain something like that.

The people who had consulted him as a doctor for sexual guidance in the past, health concerns and all, at least knew what they were talking about.

"Romantic huh? Can we try it then?" Grunt suggested out of sheer curiousity, and for the sake of new Romance with his new partner.

Mordin was blushing at an unbelievable rate, same goes for his heart beat, and while hard to notice, he began feeling slight sweat somewhere on his head.

"Now, now there Warrior no need to rush, it truly isn't that simple, we had newly formed our relationship, we should pay more attention to...getting to know eachother!"

Grunt found himself even more confused then when the conversation started "Huh? Stupid, I know who you are Mordin, the hell you gettin' at?" He asked while scatching his head.

The Salarian sighed "Clearly you know who I am Grunt, I'm the head Scientist of the Normandy, and your new...special companion, and I can say that I know you as the Krogan Warrior with...quite an a attractive Muscular stature..." Mordin said teasingly, starting to ponder what he looks like underneat the armor once more, Grunt smirked in response.

Mordin soon realized that he'd gone off topic "Ahem! but there's more to learn in people, such as their habits, what they like and dislike, their ambitions for the future, or anything in reality..." Mordin explained, and found it hard to believe that he had to explain such basic concepts, Grunt may be a fully grown Krogan Super-Soldier, but he's still such a child.

"I think I'm starting to get it.." Grunt replied, which made the scientist feel quite relieved "for example, tell me something that you like to do in your spare time? when you aren't on duty".

Grunt took a moment to think about it, he understood the question, but there were a few things he's done that would be pretty embarrassing, to say the least, an idea did still come to mind however.

"I...like trying alien food when Shepard brings me to the Citadel!" Grunt exclaimed, Mordin began nodding his head "Okay Grunt! you've started to grasp the idea, and just so you know I enjoy that quite much, as long as it's eatable for a Salarian, the food customs and preparation of other species is something I've always liked learning about, perhaps we can go and have a meal sometime" Mordin replied.

"I'm...not really used to eating with others, I'm always alone at a table in the food hall, except when Shepard comes over sometimes..." He explained "I see" Mordin said in response.

He understood what he was talking about, Jack takes her meals into her quarters and even if she ate in the food hall it was unlikely that she would sit with him or anybody for that matter. Garrus never took particular interest, likely assuming that he enjoys being by himself, the rest of the squad probably believes that as well, and the regular crew members always appeared too intimidated, almost frightened, to even step near him, let alone sit at a table eating with him. Mordin had thought about going over at least a few instances, but never quite pulled through out of slight nervousness and just felt like it'd be too awkward and out of his comfort zone completely, but when he did change his mind he felt quite guilty, since he felt like he decided to leave Grunt alone, and possibly lonely.

"Let's look at the brighter side of things however, you're opening up to me, I admire that! That's the first step of getting to know eachother" Mordin complimented happily, Grunt formed a small, but still noticible smile on his face in response.

Mordin then looked around the room awkwardly, unsure what to really do or say next, then totally realized something.

"I almost forgot! Shepard must be worried sick about me, I should inform her that everything is fine, but don't worry I will not be detailed about it" Mordin explained, sounding in a slight hurry "I also must continue my work back on the station.

"Awww...but I don't want to be here without you Mordin, I..I love you.." Grunt told him, in an attempt to convince him not to leave.

Mordin felt the desperation in the Krogan's voice, sounding more sweet and innocent then it does violent and monsterous most of the time. Almost like he changed personalities in a mere instant, Mordin recognized this "I have a crucial responsibility on this ship Grunt, Shepard and everyone else needs me! I promise we'll meet later on today and chat further, but I-" Mordin tried to finish explaining, as he turned around preparing to make an exit, but was interrupted.

Grunt closed in behind the professor, gently wrapping his arms around his wait, this took Mordin by surprise "Oh!" he let out, his eyes shooting wide open in response, unsure what to think about this "It's a promise, right Mordin?" He asked, then began slowly moving his hands up from his waist to his stomach, softly rubbing it.

He felt rather sensitive there, letting out slight moaning noises which Grunt noticed "You like that, Salarian?" he asked teasingly, Grunt and Mordin then, from their position, gazed at eachother's faces for a few moments, then leaned in and pecked eachother's lips "Yes, I...I'll see you soon...it's a promise" Mordin assured to him.

Grunt chuckled "Good..." he replied deviously, they seperated their eachother and Mordin faced himself back in the Youthful Krogan's direction "Cause if you don't, I'll be sure to shatter that weak, feeble spine of yours..." He threatened jokingly, they both laughed together for a moment.

"I best proceed to the lab, I'l keep my word...and thank you for everything..."

As Mordin walked out through the door, Grunt couldn't help but think to himself _"Wha...did any of this...really just happen...did Mordin accept me? And does he...l...love me?"._

* * *

Mordin had finally returned to his laboratory, trying to assemble himself mentally to resume his work, as he said before, his responsibility on this ship is incredibly valuable, and that's putting it lightly, he was definitely going to see and spend at least some more time with Grunt, to better understand his feelings and even the Krogan Youngling himself, but for the time being, it had to wait.

"Hmm, I should probably consider what I should tell Shepard however..." Mordin said to himself, sounding curious.

"Tell me what exactly?" Mordin heard a familiar voice and turned around to his side and noticed Shepard walking in through the side door.

He gasped in response, then nervously laughed for a brief instance "I...was referring to...how I could possibly convince you to buy some extra supplies for my work station! After all, they are by no means cheap if I'm not mistaken...hehe..." Mordin covered, worried that he nearly blew his cover.

"The goal of this mission is worth a lot more than a handful of credits, besides, I'm going to assume you want me to replace the broken test tubes, after the old ones are nothing but shards of glass now.." Shepard replied, appearing to have fallen for the cover up.

"M-Most certainly, it quite the relief you understand!" Mordin responded joyfully and slightly nervously "After all, I highly doubt they are of much expense".

Shepard nodded her head in agreement "Anyways, we can go over supplies later, but tell me, how did it go with Grunt? neither of you attacked or injured eachother I'm guessing, or hoping at least..." Shepard asked, with a hint of sarcasm.

Mordin, in an attempt to cover it up even further, chuckled in response "No, nothing of the sort had occurred, I followed your advice and we had simply sat down and managed, as it should be".

"That so?" Shepard asked, sounding suspicious, but eager to hear more "What did he tell you exactly?".

Mordin appeared relaxed, but on the inside he was like _"How ignorant of me, should've anticipated she would want an explanation! Oh I can lecture myself later!...what do I say?!"._

Mordin Pondered this desperately, but was eventually struck with an idea and chose to go forth with it, He fake coughed at first, then said "As it turns out, Grunt only wanted my attention because he admired me and desired friendship but was to nervous to try a direct approach, so he wished to grab my attention however possible, but I discussed with him the incorrect matter he went about it, and came to an agreement" Mordin improvised.

Shepard sighed, and put her right hand on her forehead "I guess that's reasonable, Grunt has never been very social with _anyone_ but me, at least to my knowledge, there's a lot he still needs to learn, He's too immature...just like a kid" Shepard explained.

_"Couldn't agree more Shepard..." _Mordin thought to himself, remembering the social guidance he just recently gave Grunt before leaving the Cargo Bay.

"Jeez...here I am sounding like his damn Mother" Shepard replied, after a moment of silence, Mordin smirked "Well it's obvious you clearly care for him, and you have been quite the parental figure.." He explained teasingly.

"Cut me a break Professor, I'll be there for anyone in my crew to help guide them, that's what being a leader about!" Shepard argued.

"In that case, I would suppose you treat the rest of the crew equally, perhaps I should spread the word on calling you "Mommy Shepard" from now on if you'd like?" Mordin teased, with a larger grin on his face.

Shepard laughed for a brief response "As Flattering as that sounds, I think I'll pass, Commander works just fine".

"If you insist, Regardless, I best return to my duties, there is much to be done, and I don't have the same luxuries as I did before, when I had the test-tubes anyway" Mordin explained, sounding eager to get back to work.

"I won't stop you, but before I leave, I just want to say I'm impressed, you handled the situation pretty well, and made a new friend in the process, so watch his back, I'm sure he'll be doing the same for you" Shepard advised In a friendly tone.

_"That perverted beast is most likely going to look at more of my body then just the back" _Mordin thought to himself, remembering all the sexual teasing that had occurred earlier.

"Thank you Shepard, it is very much appreciated" Mordin expressed gratefully, but on the inside he was thinking _"Out of the various tight spots I've ever stumbled in, this is definitely one to remember! I need to be more precautious"._

Mordin briefly entered his thoughts, recollecting everything that had actually happened, not the mere friendship excuse he gave to Shepard, there was far more then that. Although he had agreed to being in a romantic relationship, he was still unsure if he really felt the same way that Grunt does for him.

"Am I...really in love with that Krogan Brat?...What in the heavens had occurred down there?"

So with that, Shepard had finally left the premises through the side exit, however, she felt rather conflicted.

_"Ugh! For god's sake!...I want to fully trust you Mordin, but I have this unshakeable feeling that you are hiding something from me! I think I need to consult Grunt himself"._

* * *

Shepard, from the Laboratory, had proceeded to the cargo deck to visit the Krogan Squad member, eager to hear his side of the story and understand everything much more clearly, at least that's what she hoped for. Once reaching his floor, she entered the cargo deck.

"Hey Grunt, Can We-" Shepard started, but once she walked in she noticed Grunt sound asleep, sitting down on the floor, back leaning on the left-side wall.

"Oh!" Shepard responded with, sounding surprised, she then calmed herself and smiled down at him "Long day, huh pal?" She whispered "I guess you deserve some rest, I can always come back-" She was then cut off by Grunt, who was apparently mumbling in his sleep.

"M-M...Mordin..." the name managed to emerge, which caused Shepard to start paying close attention "Our kiss...just...Great!...you...you felt it too, right?" he finished with, which caused Shepard to back away and put her hand over her mouth in near shock.

After a few moments, she began to lower her hand "The hell?" She whispered to herself, after composing herself, she thought _"God, can't my suspicions ever be wrong for a change? Mordin's definitely hiding something, and I may need to find out"_.

* * *

A few hours have passed since then, Grunt had proceeded to Deck 3 for his lunch, he generally has to wait longer then everyone else, it's not easy preparing a meal fit for a Krogan Super-Soldier, even for Gardner, but Grunt's able to manage, especially now, there was something that meant a million times more then food to him right now...or rather...someone.

The only thing Grunt was able to think about was Mordin, the moment, the confession, the kiss, he can admit he wishes things had gone smoother. Grunt never assumed that Mordin felt such a high level of guilt that blocked him out from pursuing love with anyone, he had always appeared happy enough and he's seen him laugh with Shepard and others before. For him to have that despair inside of him, it must have been tragic yet he's hidden it all this time, there's so much that Grunt still doesn't understand about people.

Whatever the case may be in the end, however, Grunt was determined to make this work. He will always be there for Mordin and support him til the end, that's the promise he made, and there was no intention of breaking it.

"Forgive me for my tardiness, you didn't simplify my work process in the slightest by breaking those test tubes..." Grunt looked and saw Mordin walking over and seating himself at the Grunt's table.

"Sorry bout that again..." Grunt replied, while nervously scratching the back of his head "No need to worry, that's several kilometers behind us, I'm not upset" Mordin explained, hoping to sooth Grunt's concerns.

_"Whatever the hell that means..." _Grunt thought to himself, not understanding what kilometers is, never educated on the subject, but he still got the main idea.

"I'm glad to hear that..." Grunt started, then began leaning his head closer "..And I'm even more glad, that you kept your promise...that you came here to see me..." Grunt explained, with genuine heart behind those words.

Mordin was uncertain how to respond to him, feeling the pressure, the way that Grunt was gazing into his eyes, he really felt like he needed a moment to think about it.

"I'm...I'm happy to be here..." Mordin finally spoke back, but in a very soft and shy tone of voice, Grunt then chuckled "Y'know, you were really cute just now...you sounded so sweet and delicate"

Mordin was noticeably blushing and looking away "Grunt...please tone down the romance right now, I'd rather not risk anyone hearing us..." Mordin explained, feeling relieved that was a factor, if Grunt spoke this way to him in private, he wouldn't be getting out as easily.

Grunt Scoffed "Hmph, if you insist..." he replied while crossing his arms, sounding displeased, but he could acknowledge that Mordin was right.

Mordin took a deep breath, feeling relieved, Mordin didn't necessarily dislike thessential kinds of comments and compliments, he just has mixed feelings right now, unsure of the way he really felt towards the Krogan. He let himself get carried away with kissing him and all that sexual arousal teasing nonsense, but he can't say that his feelings for Grunt are anything compared to the way that Grunt feels for him, his attraction to the Doctor was...magnetic.

Mordin then decided to stir up another topic "So, have you done anything notable since our last meeting?" He asked, Grunt shook his head "I slept for a while, after that I went to the bathroom then came here, nothing special".

"That so?" Mordin asked "Well I can't particularly blame you, this morning was quite hectic, to say the least, you must have been rather exhausted from such" Mordin explained.

Grunt grunted "That's putting it real fuckin' lightly..." he replied "If I didn't rest up, I might have spent the whole damn time thinkin bout it..".

Mordin sighed "Truthfully I'm astounded at it myself, I was focused enough on my duties earlier, but you...thoughts of you were certainly a frequent occurance..." Mordin explained.

Grunt was about to say something in response, but Shepard then approached Mordin from behind "Hey Mordin, I need to speak with you, I'll be waiting in your lab, try not to delay" She ordered in a serious tone of voice, this taking Mordin off guard, she then proceeded to head off.

**Mordin can't seem to catch a break today it seems...**

**End of Chapter 2**

**A/N: That's a wrap for this chapter, and boy was this a long time coming, I've just had some personal life stuff that I needed to deal with, and just wound up getting so distracted by other things to the point where I rarely worked on this. To the people keeping up with this story and enjoyed the first chapter I do apologize for that, and I appreciate it. So thanks for that, and for the record, I haven't abandoned my other fanfic "Something New" I plan on updating that next before anything. So thanks for the patience, peace guys!**


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